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Additional Comments |
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| 1 Wilderness and parched land, shall be glad for them,–And the waste plain, shall exult, and blossom as the lily: |
The wilderness – The place of separation from the world in general. This is where Elijah fled to.
The desert – A desert is a place of little or no water - truth.
Shall rejoice – Shall receive the truth with extreme gratitude and rejoicing.
Blossom as the rose – Not only is this being literally fulfilled but symbolically as well. |
| 2 It shall, blossom abundantly, and exult, Yea, with exultation and shouts of triumph, The glory of Lebanon, hath been given to it, The splendour of Carmel, and Sharon,–They, shall see, the glory of Yahweh, the splendour of our God. |
The excellency of Carmel – This could refer to Mount Carmel where Elijah had his confrontation with the prophets of Baal and turned the whole nation of Israel away from the worship of Baal back to the worship of Jehovah. (1 Kings 18:17-40 [note vs 19])
The glory of the LORD – The glorious truth of the Divine Plan of the Ages. |
| 3 Strengthen ye the weak hands,–The trembling knees, make ye firm: |
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| 4 Say to the hurried in heart, Be strong, Do not fear,–Lo! your God, with avenging, doth come, With the recompence of God, He, doth come to save you. |
Say to them – Even though restitution has already begun (note vs 1-3) some members of the church still remain. These are to give this message of hope to those who are living in fear.
A fearful heart – Here, in the midst of earthly restitution (the desert is already blossoming as the rose – vs. 1 – the knees and hands of the weak and feeble are already being made strong – vs. 3 – yet someone is afraid.
Be strong – Hang in there because help is on the way.
Your god will come – Your elohiym (mighty one) – Christ will come.
How does He come? As the Prince of Peace? – No, not yet. There is another work to be done first.
With vengeance – The Day of Vengeance (chap. 34:8). 2 Thes. 1:7-8.
He will come and save you – During His second advent. "He maketh the storm a calm." Psa. 107:29 He will say "Peace, be still." Mark 4:39 |
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| 5 Then, shall be opened, the eyes of the blind,–And, the ears of the deaf, be unstopped: |
Then – AFTER the Day of Vengeance mentioned in verse 4.
This is the key turning point of the chapter. From this point on the blessings become very vivid. It is at this point where the blind are made to see, not just begin to recognize Christ and the new Kingdom, but to fully see – both literally and symbolically. |
| 6 Then, shall leap as a hart, the lame, Then, shall shout, the tongue of the dumb, For, there have broken forth–In the desert–waters, And, streams, in, the waste plain: |
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| 7 Then shall, the glowing sand, become, a lake, And, thirsty ground–springs of water,–In the home of the wild dog–its lair, Shall be an enclosure for cane and paper-reed. |
Parched ground – Parched = "deprived of natural moisture" – Webster. Here the ground lacks its normal amount of moisture (water, truth.)
Become a pool – Moisture (water) restored so greatly that now it has enough water in it for one to swim.
The habitation of dragons – Habitation = dwelling-place. Dragons = Civil powers, Beastly governments of the earth, the iron portion of the image decribed in Daniel 2:40-45. At this point there are no longer any worldly church-state unions.
Grass – Sometimes used as a symbol for men. Psa. 103:15; 1 Pet. 1:24 |
| 8 And there shall be, there, a raised way-even, a high road, And, the Highroad of Holiness, shall it be called, There shall not pass over it one who is unclean; But, He Himself, shall be one of them, travelling the road, And, the perverse, shall not stray [thereinto]. |
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| 9 There shall be, there, no lion, Nor shall, ravenous beast, go up thereon, It shall not be found, there,–Thus, shall travel, the redeemed; |
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| 10 And, the ransomed of Yahweh, shall return, And shall enter Zion with shouting, With gladness age-abiding, upon their head, Joy and gladness, shall overtake [them], And sorrow, and sighing, shall flee away. |
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